Several of the new cardinal-designates announced by Pope Francis have applauded the range of countries represented by those getting a red hat, saying the appointments signal a shift in the centre of Catholicism from the West to the Global South.
Cardinal-designate Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Korhogo, Ivory Coast, speaking to journalists during an 8 October press briefing, said: “We can be happy about this openness in the spirit of our Pope who decided to have cardinals from all corners of the world.
“We know that a cardinal is a person supports the Pope for the universal Church. So, the fact of appointing cardinals from different countries and different continents is really a sign that the Pope is opening the Church up, and the Church today needs to listen.”
